Wentworth-Douglass named “High Performing”: Seacoast health news
Wentworth-Douglass named “High Performing” by U.S. News and World Report
DOVER – Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has been named “High Performing” in five Procedures and Conditions, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2022-2023 Best Hospitals rankings released today.
This is the highest award a hospital can earn in the publisher’s Procedures and Conditions ratings.
The annual Procedures and Conditions ratings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or elective procedures.
Wentworth-Douglass earned High Performing Ratings in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart attack, heart failure, and hip fracture. The ratings found the hospital offered care that was significantly better than the national average, as measured by factors such as patient outcomes.
“Rankings like these are a great affirmation of the work our dedicated teams accomplish every day, making Wentworth-Douglass the premier destination for healthcare on the Seacoast,” said Jeff Hughes, president and CEO of Wentworth-Douglass. “These rankings noted that Wentworth-Douglass offered strong patient experience, advanced techniques, high percentages of survival, and discharges directly to home – despite the seriousness of many of these conditions,” he added.
Several other Mass General Brigham hospitals were also honored by U.S. News and World Report. Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital once again earned spots on the Honor Roll among the top hospitals in the country. Brigham and Women’s Hospital is #1 in women’s health, ranked #1 for obstetrics and gynecology in the nation.
Three Mass General Brigham specialty hospitals – McLean Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation, and Mass Eye and Ear – were recognized for national excellence. McLean Hospital was ranked #1 in the nation in psychiatry. Spaulding Rehabilitation is #1 in rehabilitation in New England and ranked #3 in rehabilitation in the nation. Mass Eye and Ear is #1 for otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat care) and ophthalmology (eye care) in New England and ranked #4 for both otolaryngology and ophthalmology in the nation.
Mass General Brigham remains the only health system nationwide with five nationally ranked hospitals.
For the 2022-2023 Best Hospitals rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions. Fewer than half of all hospitals received any High Performing rating, and only four earned this rating in all procedures and conditions. State and metro area rankings reflect the highest performing hospitals in the area across multiple areas of care.
“When patients are considering their options for care, the Best Hospitals ratings are designed to help them identify hospitals that excel in the kind of care they may need,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “A hospital that’s earned a High Performing rating in a service may be a good option for patients in need of that service and their medical professionals to consider.”
The U.S. News Procedures and Conditions methodology is based entirely on objective measures of quality such as survival rates, patient experience, and how successfully each hospital helps patients get back home.
For more information, visit: health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings.
Kennebunk Savings supports Families First Capital Campaign
PORTSMOUTH — Kennebunk Savings has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Families First Capital Campaign for their new Federally Qualified Health Center, now open on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth. The nonprofit purchased a building in Greenleaf Woods and retrofitted the facility, which also includes SOS Recovery Community Organization’s first outpost in Portsmouth.
Federally Qualified Health Centers serve a critical need in our community, providing comprehensive healthcare under one roof to our most vulnerable neighbors, including the elderly, those who are uninsured, and people facing poverty.
“One of the most exciting aspects of Families First’s move to a new building is that it enables us to expand and integrate services to complement our medical, dental, behavioral, family and wraparound services,” said Joann Neumann, Development Director for Greater Seacoast Community Health (GSCH), the umbrella organization that includes Families First along with Goodwin Community Health and Lilac City Pediatrics.
One area of expansion is the Center’s addition of services provided by SOS Recovery Community Organization. “The work that Families First does with substance use treatment will allow patients already coming to the practice to also connect with our peer recovery support services, helping provide them with ongoing recovery supports,” explained SOS Director John Burns. “Anything that lowers barriers to individuals who are vulnerable and marginalized to access support for wellness and recovery is one we embrace.”
The new facility is located near several other human service organizations and along public transit routes, providing increased ease of access for the greater community—which will expand to a projected 3,500 more people by 2023.
“Families First provides so much critical support to so many that they’ve outgrown their old space. This is a community success story,” said Bradford C. Paige, President and CEO of Kennebunk Savings. “GSCH provides innovative and integrated health services at a high level, and SOS Recovery Community Organization is our longtime and steadfast partner.”
Wentworth-Douglass awards $10,000 grant to Camp Carefree
DOVER – Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has awarded a $10,000 community benefit grant to the American Diabetes Association® (ADA) to support Camp Campfree, a summer camp in New Durham, N.H., for children with type one diabetes.
The grant will help support the camp’s 2022 summer session, which starts July 31 in person after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
“In alignment with our most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, we believe Camp Carefree will have a meaningful impact on the health and wellbeing of our community by expanding access to services for both children with type one diabetes and their caregivers,” said Michelle Hanson, RN, director of strategic planning and community benefit at WentworthDouglass.
Each summer, Camp Carefree hosts over 100 campers ages 7–16 from around the region at Merrymeeting Lake. The one-week program includes diabetes education to engage campers and keep them motivated in their own care with the support of the camp community. With the contribution of valued program and medical staff, campers are supervised and encouraged to embrace new challenges through discovery, adventure, and play.
“We are so excited to bring the Camp Carefree back in person this summer. With donations like this from Wentworth Douglass Hospital, we can continue to give kids affected by diabetes a camp experience like no other,” says Alicia Harper, camp director.
The funding from Wentworth-Douglass will allow the camp to help subsidize camp fees for over 40% of the families that need financial aid for their child to attend. Funding will also be used for medical supplies and operational costs.
Wentworth-Douglass also hosts camps for children with type one diabetes and their families and has a deep appreciation for Camp Carefree’s mission.
“The camps we offer at Wentworth-Douglass—a family weekend, teen weekend, and a weeklong day camp—serve as a vital stepping stone for kids to move on and attend Camp Carefree,” said Kris Ferullo, the hospital’s nurse manager for diabetes services. “Many of our patients attend Camp Carefree each year, it’s a fantastic camp.”
The funds donated are approved by the hospital’s Community Benefit Funding Disbursement Committee and are not raised through any public or private donations.
Huggins Hospital Pediatrician, Dr. Matos, Receives Patriots Foundation MVP Award
WOLFEBORO — Huggins Hospital’s Wolfeboro Pediatrics physician, Michael Matos, MD, FAAP, was recognized as one of this year’s Patriots Foundation MVP Award honorees for his volunteer work as medical director at Camp Carefree, an overnight summer camp for youth with type one diabetes. The award was accompanied by a $10,000 donation for the American Diabetes Association. For the past 25 years, the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation have been recognizing volunteers for going above and beyond to give back to their communities through the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards program.
Camp Carefree is an overnight summer camp in New Durham, N.H. for youth with type one diabetes. For more than a decade, Dr. Matos has taught over 100 campers each year how to count carbs and calculate their insulin levels based on what they eat and how much they exercise. Dr. Matos takes two weeks of vacation time each year to volunteer at the camp.
“Type one diabetes is a lonely disease, affecting about one out of every 500 people in our country,” said Dr. Matos. “Although that’s pretty common, many of these children are the only ones at their schools who have type one diabetes. Camp allows them the opportunity to know that they’re not alone. That is why I volunteer at diabetes camp each year.”
“A dad was dropping off his nine-year-old daughter at Camp Carefree,” Dr. Matos recalls. “He sheepishly apologized that his wife was usually more on top of the details, but she was in the hospital with their four-year-old daughter who was also just diagnosed with diabetes. Several days later, the parents and four-year-old sister came to camp so that the sisters could see each other. Upon arrival, the family was swarmed by the entire cabin of nine and 10-year-old girls and engulfed in a giant hug.”
On Wednesday, June 8, 26 volunteers gathered at Gillette Stadium to be recognized for their contributions and given the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards. In total, $275,000 in donations were distributed to the nonprofits represented by each volunteer.
The Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation received more than 250 applications this year from nonprofit organizations looking to recognize their outstanding volunteers.
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